Oct 25 2005

1 Samuel 1:1-5

Published by Hardy at 7:52 am under Grammar, Samuel

 וַיְהִי֩ אִ֨ישׁ אֶחָ֜ד מִן־הָרָמָתַ֛יִם צוֹפִ֖ים מֵהַ֣ר אֶפְרָ֑יִם וּשְׁמ֡וֹ אֶ֠לְקָנָה בֶּן־יְרֹחָ֧ם בֶּן־אֱלִיה֛וּא בֶּן־תֹּ֥חוּ בֶן־צ֖וּף אֶפְרָתִֽי׃ 2 וְלוֹ֙ שְׁתֵּ֣י נָשִׁ֔ים שֵׁ֤ם אַחַת֙ חַנָּ֔ה וְשֵׁ֥ם הַשֵּׁנִ֖ית פְּנִנָּ֑ה וַיְהִ֤י לִפְנִנָּה֙ יְלָדִ֔ים וּלְחַנָּ֖ה אֵ֥ין יְלָדִֽים׃ 3 וְעָלָה֩ הָאִ֨ישׁ הַה֤וּא מֵֽעִירוֹ֙ מִיָּמִ֣ים ׀ יָמִ֔ימָה לְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֹ֧ת וְלִזְבֹּ֛חַ לַיהוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת בְּשִׁלֹ֑ה וְשָׁ֞ם שְׁנֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־עֵלִ֗י חָפְנִי֙ וּפִ֣נְחָ֔ס כֹּהֲנִ֖ים לַיהוָֽה׃ 4 וַיְהִ֣י הַיּ֔וֹם וַיִּזְבַּ֖ח אֶלְקָנָ֑ה וְנָתַ֞ן לִפְנִנָּ֣ה אִשְׁתּ֗וֹ וּֽלְכָל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ וּבְנוֹתֶ֖יהָ מָנֽוֹת׃ 5 וּלְחַנָּ֕ה יִתֵּ֛ן מָנָ֥ה אַחַ֖ת אַפָּ֑יִם כִּ֤י אֶת־חַנָּה֙ אָהֵ֔ב וַֽיהוָ֖ה סָגַ֥ר רַחְמָֽהּ׃

Vocabulary

Verse 1

צופים רמתים  name of place: “Ramathaim-zophim” (BDB, HALOT)

אפרים  name: "Ephraim" (BDB, HALOT)

אלקנה  name: “Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph”

אפרתי  “an Ephraimite” (BDB, HALOT)

Verse 2

שׁתי  noun (mpl construct): “two” (BDB, HALOT)

חנה  name: “Hannah” (BDB, HALOT)

פננה  name: “Peninnah” (BDB, HALOT)

ילדים  noun: “children” (BDB, HALOT)

Verse 3

עלה  verb: “go up, go out”

מִיָּמִ֣ים ׀ יָמִ֔ימָה  idiom: “yearly”

השׁתחות  verb (Hishtawah inf. const.): “worship”

זבח  verb (inf. const.): “sacrifice”

שׁלה  name of place: “Shiloh”

עלי  name: “Eli”

חפני  name: “Hophni”

פנחס  name: “Phinehas”

 

Syntax & Miscellaneous

Verse 1

  • The waw consecutive form, וַיְהִי, is used to begin narrative portions of several books including Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 2 Samuel, Esther, Ezekiel and Jonah (GKC 49).
  • The second element of the noun phrase, אִ֨ישׁ אֶחָ֜ד, is used similarly to the indefinite article, a or a certain, in English (GKC 125b).  Other similar usages: Judges 13:2; 2 Samuel 18:10; 1 Kings 22:8; and Daniel 10:5.
  • The preposition, מִן, is found in two forms as a separable preposition connecting to the following word phrase using a maqqep (“joiner,” cf. GKC 16) and as an inseparable preposition fusing with the following word, הַר (“hill”), thus assimilating the nun and lengthening the vowel from short to long.

Verse 2

  • Verse 2 begins with a verbless clause that is a clause which assumes the verb “to be.”  In this case one might render either “it was (to him)” or more idiomatically “he [Elkanah] had.”
  • Notice the similarity of clause structure found in verse 2: clause A “to him there were”, clause B, “to Peninnah there were”, but clause C “to Hannah there were not”.

Verse 3

  • The conjunction waw connects two equal things.  In verse 3 it joins two infinitives, thus one might render this phrase: “to worship and sacrifice.”
  • The final clause, beginning with waw + non-verb (וְשָׁ֞ם שְׁנֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־עֵלִ֗י), indicates a disjunctive comment (like a parenthetical note: “Now…”).

Verse 4

  • Using the form waw + verb demonstrates a resumption of the story from before the disjunctive comment in verse 3 (WO).
  • The waw in the second clause, וַיִּזְבַּ֖ח אֶלְקָנָ֑ה, may best be rendered “that.”
  • Notice how the waw is used to join the following phrase to the broader syntax:

לִפְנִנָּ֣ה אִשְׁתֹּ֗ו וּֽלְכָל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ וּבְנֹותֶ֖יהָ

Example:

לִפְנִנָּ֣ה אִשְׁתֹּ֗ו    

וּֽלְכָל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ         

וּבְנֹותֶ֖יהָ      

 

Vocabulary

Verse 3

עלה  verb: “go up, go out”

מִיָּמִ֣ים ׀ יָמִ֔ימָה  idiom: “yearly”

השׁתחות  verb (Hishtawah inf. const.): “worship”

זבח  verb (inf. const.): “sacrifice”

שׁלה  name of place: “Shiloh”

עלי  name: “Eli”

חפני  name: “Hophni”

פנחס  name: “Phinehas”

Verse 4

מנות   noun (fem. plural): “portions” (BDB, 584)

Verse 5

אפים  “double portion”

אהב  verb: “love”

סגר  verb: “close”

רחם  “womb” (BDB, 933)

Syntax & Misc.

Verse 3

  • The conjunction waw connects two equal things.  In verse 3 it joins two infinitives, thus one might render this phrase: “to worship and sacrifice.”
  • The final clause, beginning with waw + non-verb (וְשָׁ֞ם שְׁנֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־עֵלִ֗י), indicates a disjunctive comment (like a parenthetical note: “Now…”).

Verse 4

  • Using the form waw + verb demonstrates a resumption of the story from before the disjunctive comment in verse 3.
  • The waw in the second clause, וַיִּזְבַּ֖ח אֶלְקָנָ֑ה, may best be rendered “that.”
  • Notice how the waw is used to join the following phrase to the broader syntax:

לִפְנִנָּ֣ה אִשְׁתֹּ֗ו וּֽלְכָל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ וּבְנֹותֶ֖יהָ

Example:

לִפְנִנָּ֣ה אִשְׁתֹּ֗ו    

וּֽלְכָל־בָּנֶ֛יהָ          

וּבְנֹותֶ֖יהָ       

Verse 5

  • The last clause uses a disjunctive waw.  How does this clause relate to the previous sentence?

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